Myrna Qhalic
The eldest daughter of ShiCon Dynamics manager Luhyien Qhalic, . Intelligent and inquisitive she discovered a great talent for all things mechanical, unaware how these things would someday reshape her future. Early life Myrna Qhalic was born in 2504 UPT on Bricera, the daughter of rich industrialist Luhyiun Qhalic. Her father was one of the board members and CEO of R&D within Shicon Dynamics, one of the largest and most influencial starship manufacturing companis throughout the known territory. She spent the first seventeen years of her life in the luxury of a mansion outside Bricera City, overlooking the sea. Intelligent and inquisitive she discovered a great talent for all things mechanical, tinkering with various things around the house. Despite her intelligence, she struggled at school, not through finding the concepts difficult but because she quickly lost interest in her work. After only three years of normal schooling, Myrna was pulled out and given home tutoring in a specially built classroom that catered for her interests. Her intellignece soon became apparent once the question of boredom was settled. As a reward for doing so well, Luhyiun gave her an old airspeeder to tinker with and practice. Myrna revelled in it, displaying extreme talent behind the stick, as well as under the engine-cover. After six years of practice, Myrna had made up her mind: she wanted to fly starfighters, a decision that came much to the chagrin of her father. But Luhyiun understood that his daughter would never be content if she could not follow her dream, and consented. Myrna stormed through training, rapidly becoming top in her class, both in piloting and engineering. Unfortunately, she was passed over an initial high ranking position based on her theory test scores, during which she had lost concentration, a dangerous hallmark that was to haunt her flying career. Fearing that this incident might destroy her career, Luhyun let his connections play. For a generous discount on the latest starfighter weapons technology Qhalic arranged a deal with Cophuranee senator Victor Trageton that would grant Myrna a position as pilot in the Cophuranee starfighter squadron Hunter, hose commander was - by convenience - Senator Trageton's son Vince. Although fighting for a people that was not her own, Myrna swore allegiance to the Cophuranee and followed her commander into their missions with esceptional skill, enthusiasm and unbendable loyalty. It was not least her credit that soon Hunter squadron was re-organized into a special forces team. This loyalty was put to its first great test when Cophuran was invaded by an unknown race of aggressors, later known as the Dhilani. As if it was her own family she fought and struggled to protect the world of Cophuran. She knew: if Cophuran - the world of warriors - fell, it wouldn't take long until other worlds - even her home planet Bricera - would follow. With passion she volunteered for one of the most dangerous missions in her life, entering the Dhilani flagship Leviathan, to destroy it from the inside - so fixed on the task at hand that she would not realize that this was a desperate last-ditch effort by the Cophuranee government - and a suicide mission. Even when only she, Vince and their squadmate Darron Larcoon were left aboard the Dhilani flagship, even when Vince was captured by Dhilani troops, would he not give up. Believing in Vince's skill and his unbreakable will to survive they held out, hidden, in the hangar, until he returned. And indeed he did. Signaling the two to launch immediately he took over control over a dhilani fighter and the three escaped the flagship. Although they hadn't been able to destroy the Leviathan, something Vince had done during his capture had motivated the entire Dhilani strike force to follow him, weapons blazing with crimson fire. Unwilling to let the Dhilani kill their comrad - and commander, Myrna and Darron followed Vince and helped him get rid of the pursuing fighters. Eventualy Vince would order them to split up, he would lead them away from Cophuran. Moments later he was gone into hyperspace, with the Dhilani in hot pursuit. Returning to Cophuran Myrna and Darron learned some shocking news: Not only had their entire squadron been officially reported MIA or KIA, further had the government declared that the entire incident had never happened, building up a net of lies around all the events that had taken place in the past days, all to preserve their reputation as glorious warriors. No longer existing in the eyes of the government Myrna and Darron left Cophuran. Returning to Bricera Myrna joined the local starfighter corps, while Darron was stationed with a small patrol fleet near the borders between Torlacian and Briceran Territory. Assassin of Kings Myrna and Darron would meet again a few years later, when the family war betweent he Briceran Vaylon family and the Torlacian Khisar clan reached a critical phase and both were stationed on the crucial border outpost near the neutral planet of Hedrec. Decimated by countless skirmishes their two squadrons - were consolidated into one squadron that would rise from the ashes of its predecessors: Phoenix Squadron. Mastering even the most difficult tasks, they soon were recognized by the Briceran Overlord and were pulled off the border to be stationend aboard the Briceran flagship, Phoenix Cruiser Glory. Happy about his daughter finally returning from the borders, Myrna's father made her a very special birthday present: a prototype BRX-750 Combat Yacht, which Myrna named 'Black Scorpion'. Finally Myrna had a ship of her very own to fiddle and tweak with. Through time Myrna installed numerous upgrades to the ship making it a truly unique vessel. Meanwhile, with the reputation of her squadron growing the challenge and character of their assignments changed as well - and not to the positive. Catching the eye of the Briceran Overlord's ambitious son Jarris Vaylon, Myrna eventually found herself facing an offer she could not refuse: To become his personal agent and executor. While his aging father desparately tried to uphold the fragile peace between the two clans, Jarris sent Myrna on black ops missions to carry out covert strikes against the Khisar clan. Strikes which became more and more personal, evolving from simple raids on cargo depots to taking out individual clan members. In order to ensure her success - and compliance - Myrna was outfitted with a number of cybernetic augmentation implants. Of course, activities like these didn't stay unnoticed by the enemy and as such Myrna soon found herself confronted by an opponent that was her equal, more than able to anticipate her actions. Thanks in equal parts to her skill, her implants and the superior modifications on her sthip, she was able to outsmart and escape her hunter upon each encounter and soon began to romanticise over their frequent encounters as a sort-of dance. That was, until the assassin contacted her directly, requesting to meet her - urgently. Both anxious and intrigued she agreed to a meeting. While she always had found a something strangely familiar about this faceless opponent, Myrna had never been able to pinpoint the origins of this familiarity. When the two opponents met in a busy shoreside cafe on Bricera, the pieces instantly clicked together: No wonder the assassin had been able to anticipate her maneuvers, had he been the one teaching her, noone less than her former mentor and commander, Vince Trageton. Trageton explained that the current struggle within the Hedrec system had a highly negative effect on the overall stability of the entire sector and, for that reason, his employer, had sent him to resolve the situation, and they agreed that continuing to work against each other would only prolong the conflict. However the question of allegiance remained open. While Vince had no reall loyalty towards his would-be Torlacian employees, he did have doubts in Jarris Vaylon's qualification of a stable leader. Myrna on the other hand was fighting for her home planet and as such would never abandon her own people. "My employer doesn't care who wins the war, as long as someone does. But Jarris Vaylon is a power-hungry brat. He utterly jumped at the chance of rekindling the war. That's why I don't see him as a qualified leader." "This is my home, Vince. I won't betray my own people. If you want this war to end, help me end it! Besides, after Cophuran I think you owe me." - Myrna Qhalic and Vince Trageton on resolving the Khetarian Feud, 2523 UST Eventually Myrna was able to convince her former mentor to join her and she introduced him to her master. Following the meeting, Vaylon and Trageton retreated to speak in private. And while Myrna never learned what devolved from this clandestine meeting, she and a few select members of her squadron - including her wingman Darron, were re-assigned to a newly formed elite fighter squadron: Phantom Squadron, under the command of Vince Trageton. The squadron's first mission was simple: wipe out the Khisar clan. With intelligence provided by Trageton and his agents the squadron split up and took out their targets in series of simultaneous surgical strikes, while the Briceran fleet moved in on a surprise attack on Torlax itself. In the end, Myrna was the one to shoot down Overlord Dalor Khisar's shuttle and end the war. In the years to follow, the Phantoms' missions became less spectacular. While Trageton occassionally loaned them to carry out tasks for his clandestine employers, especially the time following the Treaty of Hedrec turned quieter and Mryna allowed to relax for just a bit. Still a part of her kept wary. She knew why Vince had assembled Phantom Squadron. She knew whe he wanted the Hedrec System stabilized. Because unlike many of his people, Vince had not forgotten the past. And neither had she nor Darron. Five years later, the past struck back, Dhilani returned, this time with a claim for Bricera. Compared to the events in the years to come, the Dhilani invasion remained little more than a footnote. Yet it surely was a pivotal point in Myrna's life. With the UPMF seemingly unprepared for an invasion of this scale and vehemence Vince left Phantom squad to 'support' high fleet command, leaving Myrna in charge of Phantom Squadron - another 'small' arrangement between him and Overlord Vaylon. With the trap sprung and the UPMF's secret weapon - the SBC Warrior - released, the Dhilani invasion attempt was beaten back and the UPA demanded retaliation. It was in the midst of this crusade that things suddenly spun out of control. While Vaylon had been known for his vengefulness, the true extent of his wrath became visible when he ordered the annihilation of the Dhilani capitol and all its inhabitants. Soon Myrna learned that Vince, who had been tryingg to detract Vaylon from this act, had been caught and imprisoned. While a partof her still wanted to follow Vaylon for the sake of patriotism, She soon realized the madness between his actions and made a fateful decision. Together with Darron and the rest of Phantom Squadron, she broke Vince out of detention - along with Vaylon's former first lady - and her one-time close ally, Shiromy Gitann, and fled to regroup and plan on how to stop the crazed Briceran overlord. Supported by the Cophuranee navy they managed to outmaneuver Vaylon, who was lacking his most capable general, and put an end to him and his madness. However, they had only traded one evil for another. Keeping close tabs on all the events unfolding around Vaylon and Vince, Khetarian Lobbyist Phlic Aelhoc used the chaos to his advantage. Twisting the facts he accused Vince and Shiromy of murdering Vaylon and had them put under arrest while he maneuvered himself into the position as chairman of the United Planets Alliance. At this point there was no doubting left in Mryna and she knew where her loyalties laid. Once again Phantom Squadron struck to free their founder and commander and was able to rally the Warrior to their cause. The Warriors Rebellion was born. In the following years, it was Myrna's father, who played a great part in the support of Vince's organization. On one hand, war was good for business, and on the other, his beloved daughter was riding on the forefront. In time Vince eventually made Myrna his third-in-command and tasked her with coordinating and conducting the various raids that finally would lead up to the Rebellion's victory over the UPMF. Bermuda Passage + Seraphim section here Building a new home After the events of the Rebellion, Myrna's allegiance to her friends and allies was unbreakable, and when Vince and Shiromy decided to turn their backs on the ruins of the United Planets, so did she, following them into the unknown reaches of deep space. It was there that she became witness to probably the greatest miracle in her life - if not history itself: The foundation of the Phoenix Systems Alliance. A new civilization built from the crews of the former Rebellion and a small number of planets. Resigning from starfighter command, Myrna became Vince's and Shiromy's right hand and upon their request and given her experience as a spy and assassin, founded a new secret division within the PSA military, known as the Executors - an elite group of specially trained individuals for missions that required unorthodox methods. They were the voice, eyes and ears to their leaders, execute their will in the shadows. In the following four years Myrna prooved her skills many times on numerous occations. During the Sangheili crisis she was finally tasked with a mission that should once again change her life completely. To save the Empress from a space station which's corrupted systems had ravaged her mind. Barely alive both women made it out of the station before it was destroyed. Myrna received her first command over a ship, the unique Cruiser Seraphim, which also served as her mobile base of operations. Cybernetics Under the order of Jarris Vaylon Mryna has been outfittet with a number of cybernetic implants that augment her senses and enhance her physical capabilities or give her completely new abilities. Through the years she herself had additional implants installed. Her Life Support System, while monitoring her vital functions, also acts as a central control hub, allowing access to most other implant functions via a retinal projection menu. Apart from that it has numerous functions, both passive and active, which not only increase her strength and movement speed but also allow her to detect and neutralize various types of sedatives, narcotics or poisons. Further the system allows her to temprorarily pause or shut down certain functions, ranging from pain suppression to artificial coma or feign death. A special combat focus subfunction allows her to drastically augment her senses and perceptions and suppress distracting emotions such as fear or doubt in order to fully focus on her task. This function in particular has been criticized multiple times by her close friend Darron Larcoon, as it turns her into an emotionless robot. An advanced communication module allows Mryna to establish direct communication with her commander. Further Myrna has the ability to release an EMP which will disrupt any electronical devices within a few meters' radius. This is, however, only a last resort, as it will also affect her own implants. Full list of implants * Motoric boosters: augmented strength, speed and agility * Mithral enriched skeleton * Biotech interfaces, controlled production or suppression of second messengers (adrenaline, pain receptors, etc.) * Augmented senses, supported by IR and sonic sensor interface * Augmented combat logics and targeting system * Integrated memory chip for additional failsafe information storage. * Integrated pulse emitters (EMP, sonic, static, etc.) * Life support & emergency reanimation systems (incl. antidotes, de-paralyzers) * hyper-frequency holo-communication & scrambling interface Trivia * For a long time, Myrna was only a footnote character, mentioned in a single conversation. She was mainly introduced through the course of the various Battle Threads, first in a side role, later as one of the three leading characters. * Her original name was Meryna Qhalic. Eventually it was cut to Mryna and finally had the r and y switched for better pronounciation.